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Computer Science  (CSSA)

BSc (NFQ Level 8) · Academic Year 2024/2025
School
School of Computer Science
Attendance
Full Time
Level
Undergraduate
NFQ Level
8
Award
Bachelor of Science
Mode of Delivery
On Campus
Programme Director
Assoc Professor Mel Ó Cinnéide
Overall Programme Credits:
240
Programme Credits:
Stage 1
Core/Option: 55 Electives: 5
Stage 2
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 3
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 4
Core/Option: 60 Electives: 0
Major/Minor Core & Option Credits:
Stage 1: 55
Stage 2: 50
Stage 3: 50
Stage 4: 60

Curricular information is subject to change.

Computer Science is a common entry course and offers the following two degree subjects:

Students decide on their degree subject at the end of Second Year.  If you are a logical thinker who likes problem solving and you enjoy subjects like mathematics, a degree in Computer Science could be for you.

Information on all our courses including pathways, internships and careers information is available in the UCD Science Undergraduate Courses Entry 2025 Brochure (PDF).

Computer Science Stage 1 & 2

Students’ performance will be reviewed at the end of the academic year. Students who fail 50% or more of their registered modules, and who fail to progress to the next stage of their programme, will be identified under the UCD Continuation – Academic progress policy. Students’ performance will continue to be reviewed in subsequent trimesters and students will be invited to meetings with the College of Science office for support and guidance.

Where the rate of progression and performance over two academic years is deemed unacceptable, a case will be submitted to the Governing Board for review. A recommendation for discontinuation may be the outcome of this review.

As Stages 3 and 4 have the most dynamic components of the programme, and the material studied previously may no longer be relevant, a student who has been away from the programme for a significant period should be required to register again to Stage 3. The upper limit for completion of Stages 3 and 4 should be six years if they choose to do 120 credits with 20 in each year.

It is possible to study abroad for a trimester, usually in the third year of the course. Universities that students have visited to date include the University of Auckland, New Zealand, the University of California, Irvine, USA, and Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

A UCD Computer Science degree equips you with the fundamental skills to work in a variety of roles including software developer, software architect, engineering manager, database designer, web developer, network engineer, systems administrator or IT consultant. UCD Computer Science graduates work in a wide range of domains including internet, telecommunications, healthcare, finance, online retail, gaming and social networking. Some graduates start their own companies, even immediately after graduating. With a BSc in Computer Science, you are also eligible to pursue graduate study in computer science and in related areas, such as business, mathematics and engineering. Graduates also pursue research in computer science through PhD programmes in UCD or other institutions.

UCD Science Office

You can contact the UCD Science Office in the following ways:




  • Submit your query using our dedicated Contact Form.

  • Drop into the office in the UCD O'Brien Centre for Science, Science East, Room E1.09. Our office opening hours are 10am to 4pm (during term time).


Stage 1

Students take 11 programme (core/option) modules. Students who did not achieve a minimum grade of O1 or H5 in Leaving Certificate Mathematics must take MATH00010. All other students must take MATH10200. Students can take 1 elective module in the Spring Trimester.

Stage 2

Students take 10 core modules. In addition, students can take 10 credits of elective modules or alternatively, take two option modules to fulfil their stage requirements.

Stage 3

Students take seven core modules, and one 15-credit option module from List A. Student must take a further 10 credits, selecting from option modules on List B, or elective modules,




If you are interested in doing an Internship as part of Stage 4, you must indicate your interest now (in Stage 3). See full details www.ucd.ie/science/careers/internships/students/

Stage 4

Students take 1 core module and 9 option modules.

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10030 Algorithmic Problem Solving Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10040 Introduction to Computer Architecture Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10070 Formal Foundations Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10110 Computer Programming I Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10300 Functional Programming Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10050 Software Engineering Project 1 Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
COMP10120 Computer Programming II Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
MATH10210 Foundations of Mathematics for Computer Science I Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
MATH10220 Foundations of Mathematics for Computer Science II Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
STAT10430 Statistics with Python Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of:
Students who do not achieve a minimum grade of O1 or H5 in Leaving Certificate Mathematics must take MATH00010. All other students must take MATH10200.
MATH00010 Introduction to Mathematics Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of:
Students who do not achieve a minimum grade of O1 or H5 in Leaving Certificate Mathematics must take MATH00010. All other students must take MATH10200.
MATH10200 Matrix Algebra Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students may take COMP10310 instead of an Elective module in the Spring Trimester.
COMP10310 Web Design Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20020 Digital Systems Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20070 Databases and Information Systems I Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20110 Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20320 Computer Networking Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20350 Object-Oriented Programming Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20050 Software Engineering Project 2 Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20180 Intro to Operating Systems Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20280 Data Structures Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
COMP20290 Algorithms Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
MST20050 Linear Algebra II Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of:
If not taken in Stage 1 students must take MATH10200 in Stage 2
MATH10200 Matrix Algebra Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students must register to a minimum of 50 Programme Credits (Core/Options). Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional Option Modules from the list below in order to fulfill their Stage requirements.
PHIL10040 Introduction to Ethics Autumn and Spring (separate)  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students must register to a minimum of 50 Programme Credits (Core/Options). Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional Option Modules from the list below in order to fulfill their Stage requirements.
COMP20200 UNIX Programming Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students must register to a minimum of 50 Programme Credits (Core/Options). Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional Option Modules from the list below in order to fulfill their Stage requirements.
COMP20330 Functional Programming II Spring  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30010 Foundations of Computing Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30030 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30940 Information Security Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30950 Multi-paradigm Programming Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30770 Programming for Big Data Spring  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30860 Web Development Spring  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
COMP30870 Graph Algorithms Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)1 of:
All students should select COMP 30880 at the start of the academic year. Students who wish to apply for the Industry Internship module and are successfully placed on an internship will be manually registered by the School Office to COMP30790 and subsequently dropped from COMP 30880. Further information is available at: http://www.ucd.ie/science/careers/internships/students.
COMP30790 Industry internship 2 Trimester duration (Spr-Sum)  15
Stage 3 Options - A)1 of:
All students should select COMP 30880 at the start of the academic year. Students who wish to apply for the Industry Internship module and are successfully placed on an internship will be manually registered by the School Office to COMP30790 and subsequently dropped from COMP 30880. Further information is available at: http://www.ucd.ie/science/careers/internships/students.
COMP30880 Software Engineering Project 3 Spring  15
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional option modules from the list below in order to fulfil their stage requirements.
COMP30060 Program Construction I Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional option modules from the list below in order to fulfil their stage requirements.
COMP30230 Connectionist Computing Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional option modules from the list below in order to fulfil their stage requirements.
COMP30960 Human Computer Interaction Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students may register to 10 elective credits or select additional option modules from the list below in order to fulfil their stage requirements.
COMP30970 Competitive Programming Autumn  5
Stage 4 Core Modules
COMP30170 Computer Science Project 2 Trimester duration (Aut-Spr)  15
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP30250 Parallel Computing Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP30520 Cloud Computing (UG) Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP30690 Information Theory Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP30220 Distributed Systems Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP30930 Optimisation Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP40010 Performance of Computer Systems Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP41960 Advanced Information Security Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 4 of:
Students take at least 4 modules from this list.
COMP47480 Contemporary Software Development Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP30190 Program Construction II Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP30230 Connectionist Computing Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP40370 Data Mining Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP40610 Information Visualisation Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP41400 Multi-Agent Systems Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP41740 Human-Centred AI Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP47490 Machine Learning (UG) Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP47930 Augmented and Virtual Reality Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
SCI30080 Professional Placement-Science Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP30110 Spatial Information Systems Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP30540 Game Development Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP40660 Advances in Wireless Networking Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP47650 Deep Learning Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP47700 Speech and Audio Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
COMP47980 Generative AI: Language Models Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - B) Min 0 of:
Students take sufficient modules from this list to bring their total number of option modules to 9.
MATH30250 Cryptography: Theory & Practice Spring  5

See the UCD Assessment website for further details

Module Weighting Info
 
  Award GPA
Programme Module Weightings Rule Description Description >= <=
BHSCI014 Stage 4 - 70.00%
Stage 3 - 30.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47